Lighter using vaporisable fluids



July 29, 1947.

A. VANETZIAN LIGHTERS USING VAPORISABLE FLUIDS Filed Aug. l2,

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LIGHTER' USING VAPO-RISABILE FLUIDS Alexander` Vanetzian, Bonden', England- Application' August/'12, 1943, SerialNo. 498,355 In Great Britain Septemberf', 194:?,v

l. rFhis invention rel'atesto lightersl utilising vaporisa-ble iiuids, hereinafter referred to asv spirit, and a iiint and steel wheell striker mechanism for igniting the spirit vapour at the top of a wick. Itisone object of this invention to provide. an improved lighter of this type in which a reserve supply ofv spirit isA stored'.` ready for immediate. use whenever required. A further object isto; provide improved means for holding the flint its.. operative position. under: spring action, and giving ready access theretowithou-t risk of losing the spring. These and other ob"- jects willv be: apparent from the following' description of a preferred construction. of! thel light- In. the drawings:

Figure 1 shows the. spiriti lighter in. sectionon the line I--I of' Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a plan vew'ofthe spirit lighter;

Figure 3 -is apartial. section. oni, the linefIE--HI of Figure 2;

Figure 4, is a front view;

Figure 5 is adetail. Viewy of: the= striker mecha:- nism in section-onztheline V-V- of Figure-1; and;

Figure 6. is a detail view showlngf the hingedl` door: at the back open.

The outer shell 'I. is'normally closed at: thebottom by a` sliding cover 8. workinginwedge-shaped. grooves in the base ofl thev shell? 1:, andz provided with a= thumb nai-l'notch at. iltoiaci'litatezopening.. The inner'shell in they example. showrr consists of two separate fluid-tight containers on compart-t ments I 0. and II united by'solderingforotherwise: where they come togethen. each having; azafwiclr tube I2 at the top and an. aperture-attthe-ba-seclosed by a screw plug I3. In the example showin.A one screw plug I3 has a prong I4 xed in: it for use in manipulating.y the end; of the wiclrl 36 by: engagement in a slot at I6 in the Wick tube; Hl',l while-the other screw plughas atubularcontainer I'I screwed into it and. serving: as a: holden for spare flintsf The two. wickY tubesv I2 aref in; diametrically opposite positionsv as seen' in inFigure 2 so. that when the inner; shell isire moved and. replaced in:Y reversed-position. itV brings the. wick tubeA I2 ofi the; second compartment", I'Ir into. positiorrfor use. Thewick tubezofathezcom.- partment not inuse is. closed.,v by a screwedthinrble lagtoprevent evaporationof the'spiritinithis compartment. The. base'. of the.. inner. shell;y has. notchesin it as shown at I9 for engagement byia. spring. catch 20 fixed-in a: recessin the slide to* hold it against unintentionaldisplacement;

Thetopv of thev inner" shell is7 acted upon-by ai. plate spring 2I which. is: securedsto; au partitions (ivGlalims.v (Cl. 6,7--7210 plate' 22T inI the outer shell' and' is under tension whenthe inner shelli's in place, so asto causethe inner? shell to protrude ready to be taken out when. the: slide. 81 is1wthdrawn. The plate22 has two' apertures in: itat diametrically opposite positions for the wick tubes I-2 to project through; The: plate 221carri'esfa block. of metal 23 secured* tofit by screws. 211` or otherwise and formed with a: recess at the hack' Where the spare wick tube I-2i and ift's thimble I8li'e. Thelblock 23=hasa bore through it foraccommodating. theTlint 25, and a spring: Zwhioh has a button 44 on its end and serves' to` hold the: flint in: its operating: position' against the. steelfstriker. wheell |21. This Wheel haszsharp: teeth as is usual in suchli'ghters; The spring' 26' is supported at. the rearf' by a hinged cover" or" door 278. carried on a hinge pin 29 'and provided with-.a lug 36, Figure 3, which is normallyfengagedfby'a spring catch3l. This catchy can. be depressed when required by a button` 32 riveted? tov then spring; and projecting. freely" moved when necessary'for gaining access to thev int 25,. and; is re-engaged with the prong 34 before the door'28 is closed again.

The striker wheel 21'l isxed on a bush 35 which rotates freely onf a screw pin 36 whose lower screwed end. engages. in theplate 22, and whose head'lieszina counter-sink in the block 23. The bush also carries a thumb wheel 3T which is tted upon an enlarged portion of the, bush 35. The thumb wheel. 31' hasa millededge and serves in theusual'manner'to turn the steel striker wheel 2'11 and to strikev sparks` from the flint 25 for igniting` the spirit vapourissuing4 from the end of the; wickJ 33 ofi the exposed: wick tube I2. The sideof: the wick tube may be flattened as shown in- Figure. 5 where the thumbY wheel 3'Ik works so that'. thewheel: can corne closer to the wick` tube, andv thelflintv 25' andy steel' wheel 2.1 are then nearer toty the; wick 33 for lighting purposes. willbenoti'ced that the endzwall'ofthe passage in l thelblock' 23: ini which the.flint 25 engages embraces'. thev striker 2.1 closely as: seenV in Figure 5, except". for the'. gap:y throughA which the sparks emerge; to ignite the vapour; This prevents un.- d'esirable spearing'of the int as it wears away.

The wick tube l2 which is imuseandthestriker ItA mechanism are normally enclosed by a hinged cover 39. This cover has an angular lug 4|) 'supported by a, hinge pin at 4I acted upon by a blade spring 42 which bears against th'e flat faces of the lug 4I tending to hold it closed or in the open position when turned through 90, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3. The face of the lug 4I is sloped back slightly so that the blade spring 42 gives a positive closing pressure to the cover 39.

When the spirit lighter is to be used the cover 39 is raised until it springs open to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, and then the thumb wheel 31 is pressed to turn the striker wheel 21, striking sparks from the ilint 25 whereby the spirit is ignited at the end of the wick 38. When the flame is to be extinguished the cover 39 is pushed over until it snaps into the closed position under th'e action of the spring 42.

Both compartments I and II of the inner shell are iilled with an absorbent such as cotton Wool 43 t0 hold the spirit in the usual manner and to feed it to the wicks 38. The compartment not in use has its wick protected by its thimble I8. As soon as the spirit from one compartment is exhausted it is only necessary to slip out the slide 8 when the spring 2I causes the inner shell to project, whereupon the inner shell is removed, the screw thimble I 8 is changed over from one wick tube to the other, and the inner shell is reinserted in the reversed position, in order to bring the second compartment into position for use. The slide 8 is then pushed back until its spring catchl engages with the notch I9 below the compartment then in use. The compartments IU and II can be reiilled with spirit whenever required by unscrewing the plugs I3, or the whole inner shell may be removed and replaced by a new one with nlled compartments if the retailer prefers to stock inner shells ready filled and to exchange them for the benefit of his customers for the empty shells. These latter can then be refilled at leisure for other customers to use, provided that both wick tubes are covered by their thimbles I8, so that they will hold their charges without loss.

It will be realised that the spirit lighter is simple in construction, having a minimum of mechanical parts to be manipulated, and one of its advantages is that it provides a complete reserve supply of spirit in a form such that it can be brought into use immediately whenever required withoutl any relling operation.

Although the construction has been described in some detail it will be evident that it can be modied in many respects without departing from the invention. Y

I claim:

1. A spirit lighter comprising a reservoir for spirit h'aving a wick tube thereon, a iiint and striker mechanism, including a striker wheel and a body portion having a guide passage for a flint therein, al generally transversely disposed helical spring serving for pressing a int in said guide passage against the striker wheel, a door at one side of the mechanism below the top of the lighter hinged about a transverse axis with a projection adapted to engage in one end of said helical spring, means for securing the hinged door in th'e yclosed position said mechanism having means housing and confining said spring throughout the major portion of its length, and for releasing the same when required, while the end of said helical spring remains in engagement with said projection.

2. A spirit lighter comprising an outer shell with a iiint and striker mechanism, including a striker wheel and means for guiding and supporting a iiint in Contact therewith', an inner container adapted to hold spirit and a wick tube projecting therefrom, said inner container being adapted to slide within the said outer shell, a sliding door at the entrance of said outer shell adaptedl to secure said inner container within said outer shell in a position with its wick tube adjacent said ilint and striker mechanism, and spring means engaging the container and compressed within said outer shell when said inner container is in position therein and wh'en said sliding door is closed thereby to eject the container when the door is opened.

3. A spirit lighter comprising an outer shell with a flint and striker mechanism therein including a block, a striker wheel mounted by the block having means for guiding and supporting a int in contact therewith, one end of said block-being cut away, a part at the base of said block opposite the cut-away portion provided with' an opening closer to one side of the shell than the other side, a closure pivoted to the shell adjacent said cut-away portion, said block having an opening therethrough, an expansive coil spring in said opening, the opening accommodating the spring throughout the maj or portion of its length, said spring functioning at opposite ends to press a flint vagainst the striker wheel and to urge openingl of the closure, means to secure the closure against opening, and an inner container within said shell having a Wick tube accommodated in said opening and cut-away portion.

4. A spirit lighter comprising an outer shell with a' flint and striker mechanism therein including a block, a striker wheel mounted by the block having means for guiding and supporting a ilint in contact therewith, one end of said block being cut away, a part at the base of said block opposite the cut-away portion provided with an opening closer to one side of the shell than the other side, a closure pivoted to the shell adjacent said cut-away portion, said block having an opening therethrough, an expansive coil spring in said opening, th'e opening accommodating the spring throughout the major portion of its length, said spring functioning at opposite ends to press a int against the striker wheel and to urge opening of the closure, means to'secure the closure against the opening, and an inner container reversibly disposed in said shell, said container having separate spirit compartments, each container having a wick tube rising therefrom, the reversibility oi the inner container enabling either wick tube to be disposed in said opening and cutaway portion and opposite one side of said mechanism.'

5. A spirit lighter comprising a reservoir for spirit having a wick tube thereon, a, flint and strikermechanism, including a striker wheel and a body portion having a guide passage for a int therein, a generally transversely disposed helical spring serving to press a iiint in said guide passage against the striker wheel, a door hinged at one side `of the mechanism relatively close to one end of said spring, the axis of said hinge being transverse, a projection on said door engaged in one end of said spring, whereby as the door is opened the adjacent spring end will be deflected sharply to one side until the lateral pressure of the spring on the projection checks the `opening of the door `and holds the parts in engagement withY the door Vpartly opened.

6. A spirit lighter comprising an outer container having a partition wall disposed transversely thereof intermediate its ends, said Wall having an opening through it, flint and striker mechanism including a striker wheel and means for guiding and supporting a int in Contact therewith, said mechanism being mounted on one side of said partition Wall and maintained in operative assembly by said mounting for cooperation with a wick extending through the opening, and an inner container arranged on the other side of the partition Wall and comprising two compartments each adapated to hold spirit and each having a wick tube adapted to project th'rough the opening in the partition wall, said inner container being removable from the outer container and reversible therein and the wick tubes being so arranged that one projects through the opening for cooperation with the striker mechanism in either position of the inner container.

ALEXANDER VANETZIAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 

